If it's not definitive Coen infographic, it'll do 'til the definitive one gets here.
January 24, 2011 11:35 AM   Subscribe

The Coenfographic (large jpg), by Tom Muller, is a visual representation of actors in Coen Brothers films.
posted by dobbs (33 comments total) 15 users marked this as a favorite
 
This infographic does a terrible job at organizing data, but I repeat myself.
posted by 2bucksplus at 11:43 AM on January 24, 2011 [16 favorites]


R.I.P. Machine Shop Ear-Bender.

So here comes Bill walking down Nine Mile... that's Bill Parker, you understand... with his sandwich in one hand and the fucking head in the other!
posted by Joe Beese at 11:43 AM on January 24, 2011


Quite a few "5"s, but only Frances McDormand gets a "6". And looking at her fantastic performances, I can see why they keep coming back to her again and again.
posted by quin at 11:43 AM on January 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


Quite a few "5"s, but only Frances McDormand gets a "6". And looking at her fantastic performances, I can see why they keep coming back to her again and again.

Being married to the director may also have helped.
posted by Joe Beese at 11:47 AM on January 24, 2011 [8 favorites]


It was neat to get a look at the Coen stable like this, but I found the lines connecting the various appearances pretty distracting. In particular, when they went through another actors picture I at first had a hard time figuring out what was going on. I was also unclear why they left Jennifer Jason Leigh out of the lineup for The Hudsucker Proxy. That seemed like an unnecessary slight.
posted by OmieWise at 11:52 AM on January 24, 2011


and one of the 6 was an uncredited voice... So yeah technically 6, but more like five.
posted by edgeways at 11:53 AM on January 24, 2011


And has been since 1984! I had no idea.
posted by quin at 11:53 AM on January 24, 2011


Not mentioned and spoiler combined: one of the five-timers (Steve Buscemi) plays characters who die in most of his appearances, and each time the remains are smaller (full body in Miller's Crossing> mulch in Fargo> ashes in The Big Lebowski). Unless they vaporize him next time, he is not coming back.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:56 AM on January 24, 2011 [3 favorites]


I'd never noticed that the more recent films credit both Joel and Ethan as director. Does this reflect any difference in how the films are actually made?
posted by roll truck roll at 11:56 AM on January 24, 2011


And Holly Hunter (who's one of the threes) was roommates with McDormand and later housemates with McDormand, Coen, and Sam Raimi.
posted by ocherdraco at 12:00 PM on January 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


According to wikipedia: "In the past, Joel and Ethan Coen have had to split the producer and director credits due to guild rules that disallowed co-sharing of the director credit to prevent rights and ownership issues. The only exception to this rule is if the co-directors are an "established duo". Now that they are able to share the director credit (as an established duo), the Coen brothers have become only the third duo to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director."
posted by ocherdraco at 12:02 PM on January 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


Does this reflect any difference in how the films are actually made?

I'm not positive but I think it's them either saying Fuck You to the DGA or the DGA has changed it's rules which used to state that there could only be one credited director. (This was a problem when Rodriquez made Sin City and wanted Miller listed as a director. DGA said no way as he was not a "legitimate" director. Rodriguez quit the guild.)

On preview...
posted by dobbs at 12:04 PM on January 24, 2011


Man, the Coens need to work with Bill Macy more often.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:04 PM on January 24, 2011


Bah, they spelled Tony Shalhoub's name wrong. Twice. Grrr.
posted by Gator at 12:05 PM on January 24, 2011


Note to the reader: a line going through someone's face means absolutely nothing. The only line-face interactions that are meaningful are little wiggly bits and endpoints.

Because we hate people.
posted by gurple at 12:10 PM on January 24, 2011


Saw True Grit. Curious why they wanted to do a re-make, and then later read that someone doing a remake of Coen brothers film Blood Simple.
posted by Postroad at 12:12 PM on January 24, 2011


Postroad, in their opinion it's not a remake. They didn't work from the earlier film, but from the original book, by Charles Portis (which is delightful, by the way). It's closer to the truth to call it a new adaptation rather than a remake.
posted by ocherdraco at 12:15 PM on January 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


Looks like they abandoned their adaptation of "To the White Sea". I was curious to see how they would adapt that, but at the same time am fine with it remaining a book.

They adapted it years ago (as a script). What they're abandoning is their filming of it because they can't get financing "even with Brad Pitt agreeing to do it for free". The script is here (pdf). I think it's a brilliant piece of writing. Their discussion of it is available in the most recent podcast by Jeff Goldsmith Creative Screenwriting series (free on iTunes).
posted by dobbs at 12:18 PM on January 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


Works better as a chart.
posted by schmod at 12:21 PM on January 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


Postroad: "Saw True Grit. Curious why they wanted to do a re-make, and then later read that someone doing a remake of Coen brothers film Blood Simple"

It was remade in China two years ago as "A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop".
posted by octothorpe at 12:29 PM on January 24, 2011


Guess they found working with Nicolas Cage to be a pain in the ass...in the parlance of the times.
posted by punkfloyd at 12:31 PM on January 24, 2011


Saw True Grit. Curious why they wanted to do a re-make,

Because John Wayne, playing an old, fat over-the-hill gunslinger still did the role wearing a toupée and a girdle? Because the 1969 adaptation removed most of the elaborate phrasing of Portis' novel? Because Mattie is 14 and Kim Darby was about as far from her thirtieth birthday as her fourteenth when the movie was released? Because the only way three people they could have cast in 1969 with less chemistry than Wayne, Darby, and Glen Campbell would have been Art Linkletter, Charo, and Peter Tork?

I am astonished it took someone this long to do a new version.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:35 PM on January 24, 2011 [9 favorites]


The chart in shmod's link is so much better. If it had photos where the actors' names are and movie posters/stills where the movie titles are it would be the definitive infographic that the OP is keeping the seat warm for.
posted by straight at 12:39 PM on January 24, 2011


Art Linkletter, Charo, and Peter Tork

I would watch the movie with this cast of leads. Just sayin'

Ain't nothing like a Coen Brothers infographic to make you realize how many of their movies you really, really like... if you, like me, are a person who forgets these things for some reason.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:43 PM on January 24, 2011 [3 favorites]


+1 for the title alone. I used that line just this morning.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:40 PM on January 24, 2011


So many great performances in here. Woot, Stephen Root!
posted by rudster at 1:52 PM on January 24, 2011


Cool.

The brothers are rumored to have plans to adapt the "Yiddish Policeman's Union" to film. I can't wait. "A Serious Man" did not seem to get much serious attention but it is one of my favorite Coen brothers films.
posted by caddis at 2:40 PM on January 24, 2011


Double woot for Stephen Root. And cheers for three great Clooney performances.

It really comes down to Goodman, Turturro, Polito, and McDormand. For me, it's Jon Polito.
posted by mrgrimm at 3:10 PM on January 24, 2011


caddis: "The brothers are rumored to have plans to adapt the "Yiddish Policeman's Union" to film. I can't wait. "

Could not agree more. This will be amazing, should they actually carry through with it. Fingers crossed. I love them, love this book—it's perfect for them.
posted by theredpen at 3:46 PM on January 24, 2011


there is a table on the bottom half of the "List of frequent Coen Brothers collaborators" wikipedia page that is much, much easier to follow than the linked infographic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_frequent_Coen_Brothers_collaborators

it is missing some repeat "supporting players" like Elizabeth Marvel [True Grit and Burn After Reading] and some voice only performances like JK Simmons in True Grit .. but we can always add those ourselves, right?
posted by striatic at 5:51 PM on January 24, 2011


For me, it's Jon Polito.

For me too. For some reason today I said "It's all about et'tics."
posted by booth at 7:20 PM on January 24, 2011


Reminds me of my favorite chart on Wikipedia.
posted by zvs at 11:25 PM on January 24, 2011


But it's an amazing design and it's fun to look at.
posted by ghastlyfop at 11:03 AM on January 26, 2011


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